The Run for Freedom Raid
by AliasCWN
Summary: The Rat Patrol needs to break free of a German detail taking them to a POW camp. With two of them wounded, they are going to need help from others, but that brings its own problems.
1. Chapter 1

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

Blackness. It threatened to pull him down into its dark abyss and hold him there. Even now it tugged on his senses, offering him cold oblivion. No pain, no hunger, no thirst or any uncertainty about a bleak future, just welcoming cold oblivion.

A tiny bit of light held a stronger hold on his mind; his friends. They were here too, they needed him, almost as much as he needed them. 'You can't help them.' a tiny voice said. 'Maybe I can.' another voice answered. Hitch listened as the voices argued in his head until another, louder voice, drew him further into the light.

Black again. Only this time the black was surrounded by light. Hitch opened his heavy eyes and squinted up at the man standing above him. Black hair, black eyes, and close to a week's worth of scraggly black beard covered the face that loomed over him.

"Go away."

"Can't. You have to wake up."

"Why?"

"I've got a message for you."

Hitch shifted positions and tried to sit up. The man standing next to him gripped his arm to help him. The sun was already up, heating the sand until it was nearly too hot to touch. Its bright glare beat down on the prisoners trapped inside the wire confines of the enclosure. The golden orb sought out every corner of the prisoner's compound, leaving the men inside nowhere to go to escape its burning intensity.

Hitch tried to swallow but his throat was too dry. He dug a small pebble out of his pocket and slipped it into his mouth. The pebble took the place of his usual mouth full of gum, a poor substitute in his opinion, but the best that he could do since a guard had confiscated his extra pieces. His mouth still felt like he had eaten cotton balls but at least he could swallow.

"What are you talking about?"

The black haired man looked around before he answered the question. "I have a message from your sergeant."

"My sergeant?" Hitch asked warily. The four of them had been separated after their capture and he hadn't seen any of the others since. They had been put in with a large group of POW's and were on their way to a POW processing center. Even here the Germans had done their best to keep them away from each other.

The black haired man shrugged. "He said he was your sergeant."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You don't have to trust me. I'm just delivering a message. Heck, I could be putting myself in danger just by delivering his message." The other soldier realized. "Maybe we should just forget it. After all, why should I trust your sergeant?"

"Because Sarge can be trusted to keep his word." Hitch yelped.

"Yeah, but how do I know he's who he says he is?" The black haired man persisted.

Hitch blinked at the question. "Where did you see him?"

"He's in the next compound over. He says he's been looking for you."

"What did he look like?"

The black haired man described Troy to a T.

"Yeah, that sounds like Sarge." Hitch nodded. ""What's the message."

"He says he has a plan to break out of here."

Hitch nodded as if that was exactly what he had expected to hear, because it was.

"Do you really think he can pull it off?" The black haired man asked.

"Knowing Sarge, I don't doubt it a bit." Hitch grinned. He flexed his injured shoulder and winced as the pain flared. "I just don't know how much help I'm going to be. I think this shoulder is infected."

"I could help, that is, if you promise to take me along."

Hitch looked at the messenger and read the desperation in his eyes.

"I don't want to end up in some POW camp." The soldier continued. "I'd rather die trying to escape."

"What's your name?" Hitch asked.

"Leon, Leon Eckkert."

"Leon, it's not a real successful escape if you die in the process." Hitch explained.

"I'll take my chances." Leon nodded toward Hitch's shoulder. "You're going to need help; I can be that help. I can be the messenger between you and your sergeant, or you whatever else need."

"I think I'm going to need it." Hitch admitted after taking a shaky breath. "But you'll have to tell Sarge that I let you in."

Leon nodded.

"Okay, what's the rest of the message?"

Leon paused. "What makes you think that there is more?"

"I know my sergeant."

"Okay. He's planning to take out the guards while the rest of the Germans are eating their evening meal. They'll be clear on the other side of the camp then."

Hitch nodded. "Too risky at night, they'd be expecting us to try something after dark."

Leon looked surprised for a moment. "That's what he said."

"Makes sense." Hitch agreed. "Go on."

"He wants to know if you can get the guards to come in here when he gives a signal."

The blond gave it some thought. "I think so, but I'll need help to take them out. Sarge will have thought of that so he'll be expecting me to get help."

Leon looked relieved.

"Do you think you could find any more volunteers to help?"

"Are you kidding?" Leon smiled. "Every guy in here would jump at the chance."

"Be careful Leon, don't mention any details. The Germans might have spies among the prisoners watching for something like this. We don't want to doom this escape before it starts."

"I know almost every guy in here by name." Leon boasted. "The only ones I don't know are you and that heavyset guy with the broken arm."

"Don't include him then." Hitch warned. "We can include him at the end if he looks all right."

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Can I trust you? This could be a trick to shoot us down when we try to escape."

"In that case," Hitch answered truthfully, "they wouldn't need any elaborate set-up. They could just shoot us down right now and no one would say a word."

Leon looked around at their temporary camp with a new perspective. They were alone with their captors in a vast mostly empty desert and no one really knew where they were. He could easily see Hitchcock's point.

"All right, I'll talk to the other guys. Your sergeant ask how you were. What should I tell him?"

Hitch moved his arm and winced. "Tell him I'm fine; it's the answer he will expect." Hitch tried to stand but everything around him started to spin.

"Easy." Leon reached for his arm again. 'You'd better take it easy until we need you."

"Maybe I should let Sarge see me, so he knows you really talked to me."

"I take it your sergeant is the suspicious type." Leon smiled.

"No." Hitch responded. "Just careful."

Leon considered that answer for a moment. "Okay, let me get someone else to help me hold you up. We'll take a short walk around that side of the compound. All he has to do is see you, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because the guards don't like us talking to anyone in the other compounds. They broke us up pretty quickly when they saw me talking to your sergeant."

"Just get me where he can see me and I'll do the rest."

"You aren't going to bring the guards in here, are you?" Leon asked nervously.

"Not yet." Hitch answered. Whenever the guards entered the compound someone almost always got beaten. One of the guards had taken a particular dislike to Hitch.

When they had first been turned over to the POW detail the guard had noticed Hitch chewing his gum and blowing bubbles. The guard had relieved him of his remaining pieces and seemed to delight in chewing it in front of him. Hitch had laughed at his attempts to blow bubbles and had taken a beating for it. The guard still hadn't gotten the hang of it even after three days of trying.

"Okay, but remember what happens when they come in here."

"I remember." Hitch assured him, rubbing his bruised ribs.

Leon left and returned with another soldier. Between the two of them they got Hitch onto his feet and walked him around the perimeter of the wire. As they neared the gate the guards waved them away. Skirting the forbidden area, they continued to walk.

Hitch spotted Troy as soon as they reached the side of the enclosure near the next compound.

Troy was watching his slow progress around the wire. When his back was to the guards Hitch gave Troy a slow wink. The sergeant gave a barely noticeable nod and turned away before the guards could take notice.

"Far enough?" Leon asked as Troy turned away.

"A little further." Hitch responded. "I don't want to make the guards suspicious. Let them think I'm just out for some exercise."

The other man with Leon laughed. "Like you're in any shape to be worried about exercise"

"They believe what they see as long as you don't do anything to make them think about it." Hitch explained. "If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck…."

"Yeah...It's a duck." The other soldier finished for him.

"And I'm just out here for some exercise."

"Leave him alone Chad." Leon cautioned. "I ask around while I was looking for you."

"And?"

"Do you know who these guys are supposed to be?"

"No, who?"

"Rumor has it that they are the Rat Patrol. You know, that unit we've heard so much about ever since we got to North Africa."

"Are you?" Chad stepped in front of Hitch to face him.

"That's the rumor." Hitch repeated.

"Seriously, are you?" Chad insisted.

"Yes." Hitch sighed. "Does it matter?"

"Does it matter?" Leon asked in astonishment. "You're darn right it matters! When I heard that I knew I'd made the right decision. If even half of the stories we heard about you is true…"

"Well I wouldn't bet on much more than that." Hitch replied wearily. "You know how stories have a tendency to grow. " He took a few more steps and faltered. "I think I may need to stop and rest."

Leon and Chad lowered him to the ground and stood over him to shade him from the sun.

"Are we really getting out of here?" Chad whispered.

"That's the plan." Hitch responded, letting his eyes slide shut. He didn't hear Chad's reply, if he made any, he was already asleep.

His sleep was restless as scene after scene played out in his dream. The ambush by the German column, it had been a total surprise, and had proven to be very effective. Tully had been hit in the leg by shrapnel when a shell flipped his jeep. Hitch and Troy had tried to get to him but they had been cut off by two German patrol cars. The halftracks had continued to bombard them with shells and machine gun fire even as they fought off the patrol cars. They had been forced to divide their attention between the different forces just to stay alive.

Troy had blown up both patrol cars but two more had immediately taken their places. Hitch caught a bullet in the shoulder making it harder to dodge the craters left by the shells.

Finally one shell had come close enough to throw shrapnel into the engine and the battle was over. Hitch and Troy had been picked up by the patrol cars and reunited with Tully and Moffitt.

Tully had been sitting on the ground with a bloody bandage wrapped around his leg. Moffitt had had one wrapped around his hand. Troy was the only one who had escaped unscathed.

It hadn't come as much of a surprise to find out that Dietrich had had a hand in training the young officer who had engineered and carried out the ambush. It had been a pleasant surprise to find that he shared the Captain's view of how to treat prisoners. Their wounds had all been treated by a medic and they had been offered generous amounts of both food and water. That was, until they were turned over to the POW detail. Now a meal consisted of a slice of stale bread and three sips of water. Medical care was nonexistent and beatings occurred frequently. Unfortunately, their current captors didn't share the Captain's code of ethics.

Hitch awoke with a start to find Leon and Chad still standing over him giving him shade. "You didn't have to stand there all that time." Hitch protested.

"Protecting our ticket out of here." Chad explained with a shrug.

"You needed the shade." Leon added. "You look like you are running a fever."

"Yeah." Hitch explained weakly. "I just hope that I'm awake when it's time to put Sarge's plan into action."

"Tell us what the plan is and we'll make sure you're awake for it." Chad offered eagerly.

"Just make sure I don't miss supper." Hitch replied. He rolled onto his uninjured side with his back to the sun and fell back asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Troy watched the next compound and worried. He hadn't seen Hitch since their capture. After they were separated the German commander had kept his eye on them but now the guards seemed to be losing interest. It had taken a while for him to find an opportunity to talk to the others. Hitch was the last one he needed to locate.

He hadn't been able to find his driver in any of the compounds. He had finally managed to find someone who was able to verify that Hitch was alive and in the last compound on the end. Reaching out to a stranger was risky but he had little choice. The black haired man had agreed to carry a message to Hitch for him. He could only hope that his driver was well enough to understand the message. Moffitt had spoken to Tully and had expressed his concerns to Troy that Tully's wound might be infected. Troy didn't know if Hitch might have the same problem.

The sight of Hitch walking with the help of the other two soldiers was both a relief and a concern. Troy was relieved to see him but the fact that he needed help was cause for concern.

He tried not to let his interest show as he watched the guards warn the trio away from the gate. He turned away as they made their way toward him. When he looked back Hitch caught his eye and winked at him. Troy hid a grin as he gave a barely perceptible nod in return. Turning his back, he walked away before the guards could take notice of them.

"That the guy we're counting on to help us escape?" The question came from a sergeant who walked up behind Troy. Sergeant Terry Decker watched as Hitch and his companions stumbled across the compound.

"Yeah, that's him." Troy confirmed.

"He doesn't look so good."

"He'll be ready when the time comes." Troy promised. "He's a lot tougher than he looks."

"He'd better be or this thing is over before it even gets started." Decker predicted.

"You just do your part and let me worry about my men." Troy growled.

"Your men are part of a plan that could get me killed." Decker pointed out.

"If you don't like it, back out."

"Not on your life." Decker shook his head. "I want out of here as badly as you do."

"Then do as you're told and follow the plan." Troy growled at Decker and walked away.

Decker watched Hitch sleep for a while before he went in search of someone who shared his concerns.

His friend and fellow sergeant, Sergeant Frank D'Angelo, listened to his complaints before giving him some advice. "We signed on for this. We have to trust Troy to know what he's doing. If he trusts his guys then we are going to have to trust them too."

The answer didn't ease Decker's concerns but he had to admit that D'Angelo had a point. He decided to find a semi-comfortable spot to rest until it was time.

Troy left Decker with his doubts and slowly made his way to the other side of the compound. The Germans had made four separate compounds connected to each other in a long row. He found Moffitt sitting in the same spot he had been when they had talked earlier. Catching the other sergeant's attention, he discreetly gave him a thumbs-up. Moffitt smiled and rose to go talk to Tully.

Having passed the word that the plan was a go, Troy sat down to work out the final details of the escape. He'd already recruited about half of the men in his compound. Like Hitch, he had stuck with the men who knew each other before their capture. Outsiders would be kept in the dark until the last possible moment.

Finding Decker sitting next to D'Angelo, he found a seat near them. Seated with his back to them he kept his head down so no one could see him talking. Keeping his voice low so that only they could hear him, he whispered to them.

"Decker, are you in or out?"

"In." Decker answered.

"Okay, I told the others that we are a go." Troy whispered. "Did you find me a good sharpshooter?"

"Yeah, Corporal Vickers is a pretty good shot."

"I need someone who won't miss." Troy insisted. "He'll need to take out the guards in the halftrack if we are going to pull this off."

"He can get the ones in the halftrack at this end of the column." Decker promised. "He says he can't guarantee the ones at the other end. He thinks they will duck at the first shot."

"Don't worry about them, they're dead men walking."

"How can you be sure?" Decker asked as D'Angelo bumped his shoulder.

"I trust the sharpshooter on that end with my life." Troy declared.

"Shut up Decker." D'Angelo growled.

"It's my life we're talking about here." Decker protested. "I have a right to ask."

"And I answered." Troy whispered back angrily. "Did you get the guys to rush the gate?"

"Four of the biggest guys we could find." D'Angelo answered.

"Good. Big guys tend to intimidate and slow reaction time."

"Why are we throwing rocks at the guards?" D'Angelo asked curiously. "I'm not questioning your methods Sergeant, I was just wondering."

"Distractions to help the big guys breach the gate."

"Makes sense. Keep the guards ducking until the big guys reach them." D'Angelo nodded. "Divide their attention so that they react slower to the real threat."

"That's the idea."

"You do know that some of these guys are going to get killed, right?" Decker demanded.

"Yeah, I know." Troy sounded sad. "But they all know the risks and they are willing to take them to get out of here."

'What about your guys? Are they going to be bringing up the rear?"

Troy turned to face Decker, his face a mask of anger. "My guys will be right out front leading the charge Sergeant! I told you… if you have a problem, back out now! Otherwise, keep your mouth shut!"

"Terry."

"I have a right to ask Frank. We can't blindly follow these guys. We don't know them and they could get us all killed."

"Or set us free." D'Angelo pointed out.

"Either way," Decker conceded, "I would like to know what I'm getting into."

Troy turned his back to them again and looked at the ground. "We all want out of here, my guys as well as yours. We all take the same risks and work together or we risk losing everything."

"Fair enough." D'Angelo agreed. "When do we go?"

"When they're eating, like I said before. If we start anything before that they'll be on us before we can gain a foothold. We'll try to take control and grab some weapons before they can get over here. That's why we need to take out the guards in the halftrack, take them out, not try to take them out. We can't miss. We've got to keep them from using those machine guns on us and we need the guns to defend ourselves. After the guards, the halftracks are the key to our success."

"And if we don't get them?"

"Then a lot of us are going to die." Troy answered quietly.

"All right Sergeant, if I go along with this…" Decker began.

"No ifs." Troy growled. "Either you're in or you're out, no middle ground; make up your mind right now!"

Decker looked at D'Angelo, who nodded his agreement. "Okay." He sighed. "I'm in. I just hope I don't live to regret it."

"Stay front and center and you won't." Troy answered.

"What does that mean?"

"If you're front and center it will either work, or you won't be alive to regret it." Troy rose and walked away, leaving Decker with a lot to think about.

"Cocky so and so, isn't he?" D'Angelo asked with a chuckle.

"Maybe." Decker said with more respect than he had shown to that point. "But if he and his guys are going to be in the front, I'm going to be right there next to them. If they can do it, so can I."

D'Angelo looked at the other sergeant and wisely kept silent.

The day wore on and the question in everyone's' mind was why hadn't the guards moved them to the next point on their journey. Usually they only stopped for the night and moved out after breakfast. So far there had been no move to load them into the trucks and continue.

Troy was beginning to think that their plan had somehow been discovered. He worked his way over close to the compound that held Moffitt. It wasn't long before the British sergeant appeared, walking casually around the perimeter of the wire.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he stopped to dump sand out of his boot.

"Any idea why they didn't move us today?" Troy whispered back.

"Ah!" Moffitt said as he realized why Troy was worried. "I only caught a little bit of a conversation between two of the guards." He explained with a nod. "It seems that they are waiting for more prisoners to be delivered."

"When?"

"I don't know."

"This could complicate things."

"Jolly well could old man." Moffitt smiled. "They will be on the alert for the new prisoners to try something. At the very least it will mean more guards." Moffitt whispered back.

Troy sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Keep your ears open, we may have to alter our plans."

"Right Troy. Did you see Hitch?"

"Yeah, I saw him. He's all right. He was walking around the compound with help from two other soldiers."

"Two others? Are you sure he's okay?"

"He said he was okay. We'll just have to take his word for it. He knows how important this is, he won't screw around."

"The guard is taking an interest in us." Moffitt warned suddenly. "Get word to me if anything changes." Moffitt started to walk away.

"You do the same." Troy called after him. He stayed where he was as the guard eyed him suspiciously. When the guard finally returned to his post Troy looked around to see if anyone else was watching. He waited a few more minutes before he left too. He took up a position where he could see what the German commander was doing.

Just after noon, while the prisoners were enjoying their stale bread and water, a courier drove up on a motorcycle. He was shown into the tent where Troy was sure the commander was enjoying his meal. A flurry of activity followed as the main body of guards climbed into their halftracks and left the camp. That left only one halftrack to guard the current prisoners. Troy rose and went to talk to Moffitt.

"Moffitt, what's going on?"

"They are going out to meet the next batch of prisoners." The other sergeant explained. "They are going to double the guards on the gates until the other halftracks get back."

"Okay, let Tully know what's going on. We'll make our move while the camp is shorthanded. We'll just have to deal with the extra guards."

"At least we'll only have one halftrack to deal with."

"Yeah, but that's not until after we handle the guards. We'll need their weapons to take out the halftrack." Troy turned to leave.

"I'll let Tully know." Moffitt answered as he moved away too. "We'll wait for your signal."

With the clock ticking, Troy went to let Hitch know what was happening. Hitch was nowhere in sight when Troy reached the other compound. Troy searched the milling crowd for any sign of him. Finally he spotted the black haired man he had spoken with earlier. Stepping near the fence, he waited for the other soldier to notice him.

"What's wrong?" The other soldier asked nervously when he got closer. "The guards leaving don't change anything does it?"

"Yeah, it does." Troy answered while looking the other way. "We're going to go early. The guards went to pick up another batch of prisoners. There's only going to be one halftrack to worry about this way. The only problem is they are going to double the guards. We're going to have to find a way to deal with the extra guards."

"You'll figure something out." The other soldier declared confidently. "You guys are the Rat Patrol, you can think of something."

Troy chose to ignore that remark. "How is Hitch really?" He asked instead.

"Weak." The other soldier admitted. "He's says he's fine but he's going to need help to pull this off."

"He admitted that?"

"Yeah."

"I expected that." Troy answered. "Does he have the help he needs?"

"Yeah, this is my unit in here and they'll all do whatever they can to help."

"Good." Troy nodded. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What's that Sergeant?"

"Keep an eye on him for me."

"I'll be right beside him Sergeant. I'll do everything I can to help."

Troy nodded, his eyes on the guards. "I have to go before the guards get suspicious. Wait for my signal."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Moffitt watched as the halftracks drove out of the camp. The head of security immediately ordered the guards on the gates doubled. The men in the compound began to move into their assigned positions. Moffitt had put one of the other prisoners in charge of spreading the word in the enclosure. While the word was going around he took a walk toward the gate to see if he could learn anything new.

The guards at the gate were talking, and after a brief glance his way, ignored him. He moved slowly, eyeing the camp as he walked.

The commander was still in his tent with his aides coming and going. One left with his hands full of papers and headed toward the motorcycle courier who stood outside of the mess tent drinking water. The aide handed the papers to the courier who tucked them into his bag and closed the flap. Moffitt held his breath as the courier started his motorcycle and left the camp. The last thing they needed was for someone to tip their hand before the courier was too far away to notice. While he didn't carry a radio he could still catch up to the departing halftracks and send them back to defend the camp. If the halftracks returned too soon the whole plan would fall apart.

"Sergeant."

Moffitt turned as one of the other prisoners called to him. "Yes?"

"Corporal Hidlay wants to see you."

"Where is he?" Moffitt looked around for the corporal but didn't see him. The compound wasn't that big. The Germans had lined the compounds up in a single row with wire separating them. With no shelter, there was nowhere for the corporal to hide. "Where is he?" Moffitt asked again.

"See that group of guys bunched together?" The other soldier asked, pointing to the men he meant.

"Yes." Moffitt could see the group of about seven men clustered together near the rear of the compound.

"He's in the middle of that group."

"What's going on?"

"They caught a guy they think might be a plant for the Germans. He was asking a lot of questions about out plan."

"Does anyone know him?" The sergeant asked.

"No one in here recognizes him. He may be from one of the other units that got captured but we didn't want to take a chance."

"Good for you." Moffitt praised. He looked for the guards. "Let's go talk to the chap, shall we?" Careful not to walk directly to the group, the two men approached cautiously. The guards didn't appear to notice. "What have we here?"

Corporal Hidlay held on to the arm of a struggling prisoner. At the sight of Moffitt the other prisoner tried again to pull his arm free. He opened his mouth to say something but Hidlay clamped a beefy hand over it.

"Let's talk quietly, shall we?" Moffitt spoke softly but there was steel in his tone. The soldier nodded his agreement and Hidlay reluctantly took his hand away from his mouth. Moffitt waited until the other man could answer before he spoke again. "Now, why were you asking questions?"

"You guys are going to try to escape." The soldier said in a louder voice than Moffitt wanted. "I want in."

"What makes you think you weren't included?" Moffitt asked calmly.

"No one told me anything!" The soldier replied. "I saw them all whispering back and forth and no one told me anything." The soldier's voice dropped to a whisper as he realized that he was talking too loud.

"Do you know any of them?" The sergeant asked reasonably.

"We've been riding in the same truck for days."

"But do you know them? Or more importantly, do they know you?"

"I'm a prisoner here too. I deserve the same chance to escape as any of them." He insisted boldly.

"Then perhaps you should have come to me." Moffitt suggested.

"How could I?" The soldier protested. "No one would tell me who was in charge. They wouldn't even admit that they were planning anything."

"There was a reason for that. But I suppose that you do have a point." Moffitt looked more closely at the soldier. "What's your name?"

"Walters, Sam Walters."

"All right Private Walters, you are included in the escape. What are you good at?"

"What?"

"What can you do to help? Do you have anything that you are especially good at that we can use in the escape?"

"You mean like shooting or stuff?"

"Shooting,,,,or stuff." Moffitt answered.

"Well I'm an okay shot." Walters admitted.

"Just okay doesn't do it." Moffitt explained. "We're going to be short on guns and ammunition and we are going to have to make every shot count. I've got volunteers who are excellent shots."

"There has got to be something I can do." Walters pleaded anxiously. "I'm a fast runner and I was good in sports."

"What kind of sports did you play?"

"Baseball mostly, some football."

"What position?"

Walters was looking at the other soldiers with a confused expression on his face. They were looking just as confused as he felt. "What does sports have to do with anything?"

"You'd be surprised." Moffitt answered with a smile as he repeated the question. "What position did you play in baseball?"

"I was a pitcher, why?"

"Can you still hit your target with the ball?"

"Sure. I play every chance I get over here."

"Do you think you could hit your target with a rock?" Moffitt watched the other man's expression as he waited for an answer.

Walters didn't hesitate. "Yeah, at thirty to forty feet."

Moffitt smiled. "Help this man find some rocks to throw. When this starts you can throw them at the guards. It won't stop them but it will distract them."

Walters looked at Moffitt for a minute. "Rocks? Are you nuts? Have you ever been it in the head with a rock at eighty, ninety miles an hour?"

"I can't say that I have." Moffitt told him.

"Well it hurts!" Walters declared. "You're lucky to still be standing after you get hit. Guys have died when hit just a glancing blow."

"Good." Moffitt smiled again. "Make them good hits; we are going to be outgunned. We are going to need every advantage we can get. Collect the rocks, we're going to need them soon"

Walters nodded and went to search for rocks to throw.

Moffitt caught the eye of Corporal Hidlay. "Have someone keep an eye on him, just in case."

Hidlay nodded his understanding.

"And if you have any more ball players, tell them to collect rocks too."

Hidlay shook his head at the order. "This is sounding more and more crazy by the minute."

Moffitt smiled and glanced toward the next compound. "A friend once made the observation that 'crazy works for us.' Let's just hope that it's still true."

"Are your friends collecting rocks too?"

"I'm sure that they are." Moffitt answered. "Tell everyone to be ready, it won't be long now."

Hidlay went off to spread the word as Moffitt ordered. Moffitt stood where he was and looked around the compound. As far as he could see everything looked normal. The prisoners were milling around randomly. A few had stopped to talk to others but there was nothing suspicious that he could detect. The guards were glancing in occasionally but they didn't seem worried.

Moffitt made his way to the last compound on the end. He wanted to give Tully all of the latest information and check on his condition. The last time he had spoken to Tully the private had looked feverish. He was concerned that Tully's leg wound might be infected. The original treatment had been sufficient for the time but Tully needed follow-up care.

They were counting on Tully's marksmanship to take out the crew of the halftrack. The two man crew had to be eliminated if their plan was to succeed. If they managed to get their heavy machine gun into action they could defeat the escape in seconds.

Tully was sitting on the ground near the wire when Moffitt arrived.

"What's the word Doc?"

"Troy wants to move the timetable up. We're going to go while most of the halftracks are gone."

"Good. I was worried that the other crews might reach their halftracks before we could be ready."

"We considered that possibility but it was something we had to risk." The sergeant admitted. "I must admit, I am relieved that we no longer have to worry about that happening."

"Same go signal?"

"Yes. Any trouble so far?" When Tully didn't answer right away Moffitt took a chance and looked toward him. "Tully?"

"We may have a spy in this group." Tully answered hesitantly. "We aren't sure but he acted suspicious."

"Don't take any chances Tully."

"We aren't." Tully promised. "We have him under guard. I knocked him unconscious and we're going to keep him that way until this is over."

"It should be over one way or another very soon."

"Not too soon for me Doc. I designated drivers for all of the trucks. As soon as we take the camp we're going to load everyone up and get out of here."

"I have men collecting rocks to throw at the guards. What doesn't hit them will act as a distraction."

Tully chuckled. "Doc, what does hit them should act as a pretty good distraction too."

Moffitt huffed. "Yes, so I've been told."

Tully tried to hide another chuckle. "Can you just picture the look on Captain Boggs' face when we tell them we fought the Germans with rocks?"

"I don't know why that should surprise him." Moffitt answered. "You used a slingshot before. Anyway, I just hope we get the chance to tell him."

"Having second thoughts Doc?"

"No, I was just thinking. One of the men in here pointed out how crazy this all sounds."

Tully grinned but quickly hid it. "But crazy works for us Sarge."

"Don't call me Sarge….and that's exactly what I told him."

"It'll work Doc. Heck we've pulled off crazier schemes."

"By ourselves Tully; this time we have a lot of unknowns involved. You know Troy always says it's knowing his men that keeps us alive."

"Trust Sarge Doc, he's kept us alive this long." Tully suggested. He rolled his matchstick to the other side of his mouth and grinned. "You two make a good team."

"We four make a good team." Moffitt corrected. "How's the leg?"

"Fine."

"I doubt that." Moffitt smiled. "Are you going to have any trouble moving about?"

"I'll manage Doc." Tully assured him. "Freedom is a pretty good incentive to move."

"That it is Tully, that it is."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

BY:AliasCWN

Chapter 4

Tully watched Moffitt walk away. He rubbed his wounded leg and winced at the dagger of pain that resulted. He was certain that the wound was infected. The area around it was hot and swollen. Just the barest movement sent red hot flames shooting up his leg. Despite the pain he forced himself to walk on it to loosen the cramped muscles. His part in the plan required him to get from point A to point B in a hurry. It was his job to take out the crew of the halftrack before they realized what was happening. That meant that he had to take out a guard, get his weapon, and get into position.

The double guards were going to make it more difficult but he had put someone else in charge of taking out the extra guards while he did his part.

Thinking about what Moffitt had told him, he went in search of someone who could throw rocks.

His rock throwers were busily looking for good ammunition to throw when Tully noticed the commotion in the other compound. The guards had unlocked the gate and were rushing inside. Tully gave the signal and a fight broke out in his compound. He moved closer as the guards opened the gate to break up the disturbance.

All four compounds had something going on but the guards didn't seem to realize it. The longer they remained oblivious the better the plan would work. Tully signaled his rock throwers to pummel the guards still outside with their rocks. The guards who had entered the compound were quickly subdued by a swarm of prisoners. As the weapons were confiscated they were handed off to the designated riflemen. Tully took his and made a clumsy run for the halftrack.

The guards still outside were yelling for help. Rocks pelted them from all directions. Some of them were already unconscious or dead. Tully took aim and shot the crew of the halftrack as they frantically tried to clear their weapon and fire on the prisoners.

The first one fell as he tried to clear the chamber of his gun. Tully shot him in the chest, throwing him backwards out of the vehicle. The second gunner looked up in surprise as Tully changed the aim of his rifle. The second gunner died with his hands on the handle as Tully shot him between the eyes.

With the gunners in the halftrack dead Tully turned his attention to the remaining guards on the gate. They had managed to get out of range of the rocks and were starting to fire on the prisoners. They didn't even realize they were under fire until Tully dropped the second one. The others tried to spot the shooter but they were quickly overrun by the escaping prisoners.

The prisoners had broken out of the compounds and were picking up anything that they could use as a weapon. They poured across the camp like a flood of water, wiping out anything in their path. The Germans were caught by surprise and swamped by the angry Americans. The prisoners fought with the fury of men treated as animals instead of humans. The Germans never stood a chance once the gates were opened. They fell back until they had nowhere else to go. Still the prisoners pushed forward. More than one guard was beaten to death with crude weapons in the hands of their former prisoners.

Tully saw three men climb into the back of the halftrack and dump the body of the dead gunner out onto the ground. A few seconds later the heavy machine gun joined the fight on the side of the Americans. The lethal fire cut down the German reinforcements as they ran across the camp.

The rock throwers had fallen back as the fight was taken over by the men with weapons. As Tully watched they ran up to the halftrack and the men inside handed them a canvas bag full of grenades. The scattered pockets of German resistance fell under the onslaught of the grenades.

Looking around, Tully could see the soldiers from the other compounds moving forward too. There were casualties, but not as many as he had expected. Soldiers were braving the gunfire to pull the wounded to safety behind any cover they could find.

The camp commander made a dash for his staff car. One of his aides tried to give him cover but the aide was cut down by armed prisoners. The commander made it to his car only to be surrounded by a group of angry men.

Tully was about to head that way when he spotted Troy leading a group toward the staff car. Knowing that the sergeant could handle it, Tully took the time to search for the others.

He spotted Moffitt leading a group of armed prisoners in an attack on one of the last of the German holdouts. The firing had dwindled until there was only an occasional shot here and there. As Moffitt's group converged on them the Germans threw their weapons to the ground.

The men assigned to drive the trucks were already checking them for damage. They swarmed around them looking for anything that might give them trouble on their way home. None of them wanted to get stuck along the way because the truck broke down. Tully headed that way, expecting to find Hitch already there.

"How do they look?" Tully asked as he reached the trucks.

One of the soldiers stepped forward. "The name's Charley." He held out a hand for Tully to shake. "We checked them out." He looked toward the trucks. "Most of them are okay. There are two flat tires but I have guys changing them as we speak. There's one that might be fixable and one that looks like it's done."

"What's wrong with them?"

"A shot up fuel line in one. The other one has a shot up engine compartment. My guys are looking at it right now." The sound of a truck starter whirring drew their attention. They listened but the engine did not turn over. "Yep, sounds like she's done." Charley confirmed.

Tully nodded, they needed all of the trucks if possible but they couldn't drive one that wouldn't start. They had all been fully loaded when they arrived and if they were short they were going to have to crowd the prisoners into whatever was left.

"Let me take a look at the fuel line, maybe we can patch it." Tully suggested.

"We don't have any spare parts." Charley warned him.

"We can use parts from the truck that won't start."

The fuel lines needed to be replaced and Tully soon had men pulling the fuel line from the truck that wouldn't start while others removed the damaged line from the other truck.

"Tully."

Tully looked up from the truck engine to see Moffitt approaching. "How are we doing?"

"We're down a truck Doc. We're going to have to pack them into the remaining trucks. It's going to be tight."

Moffitt sighed. "We can put the dead in one truck." He looked uncomfortable with the suggestion. "It's not like they are going to complain about the crowded conditions. I don't want to leave anyone behind if we don't have to. If it comes to that we can leave them."

"I think that we can make it work." Tully agreed. "I'll get someone on it right away. Did the medics find enough supplies to treat the wounded?"

"They found what was available." Moffitt said. "The commander didn't carry much in the way of medical supplies. He did have a chest full of fancy table settings though. One must have the best plates to eat off of when one travels."

"Great." Tully "Maybe we can use the chest for something." Tully looked across the camp at the staff car. "Is the staff car usable?"

Moffitt glanced that way and nodded. "I think so."

"We can use that for some of our people."

"Whatever you need Tully but I think you should see if the medics can look at your leg before we leave."

"I will Doc. Have they looked at Hitch's shoulder yet?"

"I don't know." Moffitt admitted "I haven't seen Hitch."

Tully frowned. "Do you think he's with Sarge?"

"No." Moffitt shook his head. "I just left Troy and Hitch wasn't there. I thought that he might be with you."

"I haven't seen him." Tully answered with a worried look.

"I'd better go find him." The sergeant decided.

"I'm coming with you." Tully turned toward the trucks. "Hey Charley."

Charley looked over at the call.

"I've got to go." Tully told him. "Keep working on the trucks. You're in charge."

Charley nodded and went back to work.

"Did Sarge manage to rescue the commander?" Tully asked as they walked across the camp. After the way he had treated the prisoners Tully wasn't really worried about his fate.

"Yes." Moffitt answered. "Troy wants to take him back for questioning."

"So he can spend the rest of the war in a POW camp?"

"It's not ideal but we can use the information." Moffitt pointed out.

"I guess so." Tully admitted reluctantly. "But I can think of a few better ways to use the space in the truck."

"If it comes down to leaving a man behind or letting the commander ride, we can always put him in the truck with the dead." The sergeant suggested with a grim smile.

"Naw, I wouldn't do that to those guys. They've given enough already."

"Moffitt."

Moffitt and Tully turned to see Troy rushing toward them.

"Have you seen Hitch?"

"We were just on our way to look for him." Moffitt answered.

"I'll go with you." Troy replied. He frowned at Tully who stood behind Moffitt. "Tully, shouldn't you stay off of that leg?"

Tully shrugged. "I'm going with you to find Hitch." The defiant tilt of his chin dared the sergeant to argue with him.

Troy looked at Moffitt who shrugged and smiled. Accepting the inevitable, Troy nodded.

"Where did you see him last?" Tully asked.

"In the last compound on this end." Troy answered. "His guys busted out and I expected Hitch to be leading the charge." He slowed his pace when he noticed that Tully was struggling to keep up.

"I saw them break through the gate but I didn't see Hitch." Moffitt admitted. "Of course, I was rather busy at the time. Perhaps I just missed him in all of the confusion."

"I looked that way and didn't see him either." Tully added breathlessly.

"Tully, for pete's sake, take a break!" Troy growled. "You're no good to us if you wear yourself out before we leave here."

Tully looked down at the ground and remained silent.

"All right." Troy gave in. "But as soon as we find Hitch the two of you are going to see the medic."

"Okay."

At Tully's easy capitulation the two sergeants exchanged worried frowns. Tully looked up and saw their expressions and felt the need to explain.

"My leg is infected Sarge, I know that, but I have to find Hitch. I'll rest as soon as we find him."

"Okay Tully, but let us know if you need help."

"I'm okay Sarge. I just need to move slowly." Tully took another step and fought to keep his balance as the leg gave out. He grinned as he caught himself. "See, I'm fine."

Troy growled and Moffitt shook his head. They each took one of Tully's arms and supported him as they went in search of their missing man.

"How many did we lose?" Troy asked as they passed the detail picking up the dead.

"We don't have a count yet." Moffitt replied. "Less than I expected."

"Wounded?"

"No count there either." Moffitt admitted.

"Trucks?"

"One is being repaired. Tires are being replaced on two others. One is too shot up to run." Tully gave Troy the rundown on their transportation.

"What about the commander?" Moffitt asked.

"Under guard and as safe as I can make him." Troy answered. "A lot of these guys would like to see him dead."

"Can you blame them? Most of these men were prisoners a lot longer than we were and you know how they were treated."

"I know how they feel Moffitt, but he has too much information that we can use."

"Well I vote we don't feed him until we get back to our base." Tully offered.

"It's only two days to the nearest Allied base." Moffitt figured. "He could live off of his fat for that long."

"Okay, okay." Troy laughed. "Two days. I can live with that but one of you is going to have to listen to him complain."

"Gag him." Tully stated flatly.


	5. Chapter 5

**iThe Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"You must be Sergeants Troy and Moffitt." A tall skinny guy with dirty blonde hair confronted them as soon as they entered the last compound.

"And you are?" Troy countered.

"I'm a friend of Chad Richards."

"I don't know any Chad Richards." Troy replied. "How does he know us?"

"He's a friend of Leon Eckert's. Leon sent me to find you but I figured you'd find me, and here you are."

"I don't know any Leon Eckkert." Troy looked at Tully and Moffitt but they both shrugged too. "Who is Leon Eckkert?"

The skinny guy didn't look fazed by their confusion. "Leon knows you; at least he knows you Troy. He also knows your private."

"Hitch? He knows Hitch?"

"Yeah."

"Where is he?"

The skinny guy turned and walked away without another word. Troy and the others followed anxiously. The soldier led them toward the tents that the Germans had occupied earlier. As they got close Troy noticed a group of men clustered around the doorway. All of them seemed to have some sort of injury, some had bandages, and some seemed to be waiting for attention. The soldier stopped at the door and motioned them inside.

The black haired man who had carried Troy's message stood just inside the door. He looked over and smiled as Troy and the others pushed their way through. "Glad to see you made it Sergeant. We didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves earlier, I'm Leon Eckkert. This is my friend Chad Richards." He indicated the other man who had helped Hitch walk around the compound."

Troy nodded and introduced Tully and Moffitt. He tried to look past Eckkert but the tent was crowded. Putting manners aside, Troy asked the question that was really on his mind. "Have you seen Hitch?"

Eckkert smiled and turned to the others standing behind him. "Make a path, the sergeant needs to get through."

The men in the tent parted and Troy saw Hitch stretched out on a cot. A medic was working on his leg.

"He caught a bullet in the first rush. I managed to pull him behind some cover in all of the confusion. With the shoulder wound and all I figured he didn't need to be out there trying to get himself killed."

"Hitch!"

Hitch opened his eyes and smiled weakly at his friends. "Hey Sarge. Doc. Tully. I guess we all made it."

"Yeah, we did." Troy smiled and dropped to his knees to be on the same level with his driver. "How are you doing?"

"Okay Sarge. The shoulder is infected so I guess I'm a little weak, but I'm okay." Hitch tried to smile but it was a poor attempt.

Troy reached out to touch his forehead. "You're running a fever."

"I guess so. How's Tully's leg?"

"About the same as your shoulder." Troy answered dryly. "How's your leg?"

Hitch looked down at his injured leg and shrugged. He winced as he moved his shoulder. "The bullet missed the bone. The doc here says I'll be fine." Hitch closed his eyes and Troy looked to the medic for confirmation. The medic nodded his head in agreement. Troy looked up as Decker and D'Angelo stepped into the tent. The two men looked from Troy to Hitch but didn't speak.

"I'll stay with him if you need to be somewhere." Eckkert volunteered. He looked at the two newcomers expectantly.

Troy stood up and nodded at Eckkert. "Thanks. See to it that he gets on the truck with the wounded if I don't get back in time."

Eckkert nodded.

"Take it easy Hitch, we'll see you later. I'm leaving Tully here with you. Both of you try to get some rest." Before Tully could protest Troy turned and left the tent.

Moffitt smiled at Tully and ducked out after Troy.

Tully sighed. "Well doc, when you're done with Hitch I guess I'm next."

"How'd we do Tully?"

Tully sat on the edge of the other cot and allowed the medic to check his leg. "Not too bad.' He answered. "We don't have a casualty count yet but it's a lot lower than Sarge expected. The trucks are all running but one. The commander's a prisoner and we have a few others prisoners as well."

Hitch was nodding at the report. "When are we getting out of here?"

"As soon as we can." Tully answered. "Those other halftracks could return at any time. Sarge wants to be gone before they get back."

"What about the prisoners they are bringing back?" Decker demanded angrily. "Aren't we going to free them too?"

"Look at us." Tully responded. "Do we look like we're ready to take on a bunch of halftracks and their crews?"

"But you guys have a reputation!"

"Reputations don't win battles." Tully argued.

"He's right." Hitch added. "We're low on guns, ammunition, and supplies. Most of these guys haven't had a decent meal in weeks. Going against those halftracks would be suicide."

"It doesn't seem right to just leave them." D'Angelo pointed out.

"Sometimes you don't have a choice." Tully drawled.

"I bet your sergeants could come up with some way."

Tully looked at Hitch but Hitch had his eyes closed. "Maybe." He admitted making Hitch's eyes pop open. "Take the idea to them and let them decide."

Decker looked at Tully and frowned. "I don't think Troy likes me."

"I'll ask him." D'Angelo offered.

"Okay Frank, I'll wait here. Let me know what he says."

D'Angelo found Troy supervising the searching of the camp. He had crews collecting anything that could prove useful to them until they made it back to their own lines.

"Did Hitch and Tully get on the truck?"

"Not yet. They aren't loading them yet." D'Angelo explained. "Troy, Decker and I have a problem."

Troy stopped what he was doing to face the other sergeant. "What is it? You helped us, maybe we can help you." He was shaking his heads before D'Angelo had finished explaining what he wanted. "We can't risk it."

"Well we want to." D'Angelo argued. "We can put it to a vote. Maybe some of the other guys would be willing to help."

"This isn't a democracy Sergeant." Troy argued. "We're responsible for all of these guys. What about the wounded? Are you willing to risk them?"

"We can send them back while we go after the other prisoners. We can catch up before they get too far. It's not right to leave them behind Sergeant. If I were in their shoes I would want someone to help me."

"It's not that simple." Troy argued.

"You can figure a way to do it." D'Angelo argued. "We've all heard about you guys. They send you in when the assignments are tough. This one is right down your alley. There has to be a way we can free those prisoners."

"We can't go up against those halftracks and win." Troy insisted. "We only have a few dozen guns. We're low on ammunition. We used up all of our grenades taking the camp. What do you intend to fight with, rocks?"

D'Angelo looked down at the ground. When he looked up again he had a hopeful grin on his face. "They worked to take out the guards."

"Well they won't take out a halftrack." Troy growled.

"There may be a way Troy." Moffitt had come up while they were talking and he had been listening to the conversation.

"Moffitt! We wouldn't stand a chance."

"Not against the halftracks, no."

Troy paused. "What do you have in mind?"

"What if we called them and told them that the prisoners were rioting? We could order them to come back here and help put down the uprising. We could probably handle any guards they leave behind to guard the prisoners."

Troy chewed his lip and thought about it. "Did you find anything telling us how many new prisoners were coming in?"

"Another three truck loads."

Troy sighed. "Okay. Let's see what we can do. Moffitt, find the route they're taking to get here. And find out when we can expect them back. D'Angelo, spread the word and see if you can get any volunteers. We need some men to go with the wounded too. We need to get them on their way and out of here. Those halftracks may try to follow them and they need to be long gone."

"Can any of your people find their way back to our lines?" Moffitt asked D'Angelo. "Navigating the desert can be tricky business."

"I'll ask." D'Angelo responded with a grin.

Troy sent men to begin loading the dead and wounded onto the trucks. They managed to fit them all into three trucks leaving the rest to transport the rescue party. There was a sense of urgency and excitement as word spread about the new plan.

When they asked for volunteers to go after the new prisoners nearly every able bodied soldier stepped forward. "We can't use all of you." Troy declared. "If you don't have a weapon you'll just be in the way. And I need some of you with weapons to go along and protect the trucks that are leaving now."

"I want to go with you Sergeant." Eckkert stepped forward. "But I promised to keep an eye on Hitchcock for you." Eckkert looked over at his buddy Chad. "You get the prisoners back and Chad and I will keep an eye on your guys for you."

Troy nodded and quickly chose the others who would go with the wounded. Leon and Chad climbed into the truck with the wounded while the other trucks were loaded with unarmed men. Troy gave them directions and watched as they disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"Troy." Moffitt's call brought Troy running from where he was giving the remaining men instructions on what they needed to do.

"Yeah? What is it Moffitt?"

"I think I've located the point where the halftracks were to meet the new prisoners."

"That's good." Troy answered, his eyes going back to where he had last seen the trucks with the wounded.

"Perhaps not so good."

Troy turned at the other sergeant's sober words. "What's wrong now?"

"Unless they were delayed, they should be on their way back by now."

"Load up!" Troy yelled to his volunteers. "We gotta move!"


	6. Chapter 6

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Moffitt made a call over the radio informing the halftracks of the problems at the camp. Using the commander's name he ordered them to leave the prisoners with a few guards and return immediately to help restore control of the camp.

Troy had the former POW's hide in the dunes and watch as the line of halftracks rushed past them to return to the camp.

"This will have to be quick." Moffitt warned as they pulled out to search for the trucks carrying the POWs.

"I wish Hitch and Tully were here with the jeeps." Troy responded.

"So how are we going to do this? Those halftracks might still be close enough to hear the shots. We'll be in trouble if they turn around."

"We'll have to chance it." Troy answered. "First we have to find the trucks."

"They can't be too far." Moffitt reasoned. "The halftracks got here fairly quickly after I made the call."

"If we're lucky the trucks are moving slowly to give the halftracks time to quell the riot." Troy was scanning the terrain ahead, looking for the tell-tale plume of dust from the moving vehicles.

"There!" The driver shouted and pointed.

Troy looked and spotted the dust as the German trucks approached.

"Fifteen minutes out at the most." Moffitt guessed.

"Yeah, no time for anything elaborate." Troy agreed. "How many guards do you think they left?"

Moffitt considered it for a minute. "Two in each truck in the front. Most likely two in the back with the prisoners. Perhaps a patrol car or two to run down anyone who tries to run for it."

"So we can expect anywhere from twelve to twenty?"

"That would be my guess." Moffitt nodded.

"I count three trucks." The driver reported.

"That's what the dispatch said was coming." Moffitt confirmed. They had found the dispatch when they searched the commander's tent.

Troy took his hat off and wiped his face with his sleeve. He was squinting into the sun, gauging the distance.

"But I don't see any patrol car." The driver added.

"Maybe twelve men." Troy replied with a grin. He took a playful swipe at Moffitt with his hat before placing it back on his head. "Maybe our luck is holding." He checked the road in front of them and smiled. "Suppose we bury men along both sides of the road. Once the trucks get between them they can jump out and open fire. They should be able to get the guards in the front easy enough; they won't be expecting anything. The guards in the back will probably try to take cover either under the trucks or behind them. If they stay in the trucks they risk the prisoners taking a hand. Once they're out of the trucks we can take them. We grab the trucks, catch up with the others, and head for home."

"The halftracks might give chase." Moffitt warned.

"Maybe." Troy agreed. "But we'd have a head start. Trucks are a little faster than halftracks."

"Not with wounded."

"We'll catch up with them and deal with any problems as they come up." Troy shrugged.

"They'll radio their headquarters and report our position."

"They will anyway." Troy argued. "As soon as they see that camp they're going to be squawking to their headquarters."

"You're right." Moffitt admitted. "We're here; we may as well get it done." He gave Troy a quick smile that belied his pessimistic comments. "I just felt that I should point out the flaws in the plan."

"They all have flaws." Troy grinned. "That's why we prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

They hid the trucks out of sight with the drivers ready to pick them up at the signal from Troy. The men assigned to kill the guards were buried in the sand on both sides of the road. A trench was dug to lie in and they were covered with just enough sand to hide them from view. Moffitt took some of the men to guard the trucks and coordinate the rescue if something went wrong. They set up the 30 caliber machine gun they had taken from the halftrack back at the camp as their first line of defense. It would give the soldiers on foot cover if they had to retreat.

When they were ready they settled down to wait. They didn't have to wait long. The sounds of tires on sand reached them within minutes of finishing the trap. The German trucks drove nearer, their crews oblivious to what lay waiting in the sand along the road.

When the lead truck was almost to the last man in the sand Troy gave the signal. The buried men jumped up and started firing on the unsuspecting Germans. The Germans in the front of the trucks died quickly, leaving the trucks to roll to a stop. The guards in the back tried to take cover underneath the vehicles but the Americans cut them down before they could reach safety.

Decker and D'Angelo, the two men who had assumed point on the attack, rushed the first truck. A shot rang out and Decker stumbled and fell. Inside the truck men yelled and the truck rocked as the weight shifted. D'Angelo killed the German who came flying out of the rear of the truck.

"All clear in here." A voice called out in English.

"Come on out." D'Angelo shouted. He kept his rifle trained on the truck as the men inside jumped to the ground. "Are there any more Germans in there?"

"No live ones." One of the prisoners grinned.

D'Angelo nodded and dropped to the ground by Decker's still form.

"I'm a medic." One of the prisoners announced as he stepped forward. "Give me room to look at him."

Turning to another soldier D'Angelo barked an order. "Find Troy or Moffitt. Let them know about Decker."

The soldier nodded and ran off.

"Troy or Moffitt?" A small soldier repeated. "Is the Rat Patrol here?"

"Yeah, you know them?"

"Yeah, I do." The soldier answered. "But I heard they were overdue. The Captain was worried that they might have been captured or killed."

"They were."

"Then how,,,,?"

"We broke out and then heard about you guys. We decided to free you too." D'Angelo explained.

"Troy and Moffitt. What about Pettigrew and Hitchcock, are they here too?"

"No." D'Angelo answered, his attention more on the medic than on the conversation.

"They didn't make it?"

D'Angelo caught the grief in the other soldier's voice and looked up. "They're alive. They were both wounded. They were sent back with the other wounded after we escaped."

"How long ago was that?" The soldier asked. "Because I was carrying dispatches and I haven't heard about any POW's returning."

D'Angelo looked at his watch. "About an hour ago, maybe a little more. They won't make it back to the base until tomorrow or the day after."

The medic stood up and wiped his hands on his pant legs. "I've done all I can without any supplies. I have the bleeding stopped. He should make it if it doesn't start bleeding again."

"As long as the Germans don't catch us again." D'Angelo muttered under his breath.

"Hey Frank, why are we still here? I thought we were going to beat feet out of here." Decker announced that he was awake by complaining.

D'Angelo smiled as Decker belligerently demanded answers. "I'll go see what's holding us up." D'Angelo could hear men shouting that everyone was to get back in the trucks. "Get him loaded and then get back in the trucks yourself." He ordered. "I'll be right back."

Decker watched the other soldiers as they dumped the dead German out of the truck and climbed back in. "So you guys know Troy and Moffitt?"

The soldier who had spoken earlier nodded.

"Do you know the privates too?"

"Yeah," The other answered. "I know Troy and Moffitt but I'm pretty good friends with both privates."

"Do they always have to do things their own way?"

"Pretty much." The soldier grinned. "Hitch says it works for them so why change it."

"Doesn't headquarters have a problem with it?"

"Why should they?" The other soldier asked. "The Rat Patrol is the most successful team they have. All they have to do is tell them what they want and let Troy and the others figure out how to get it done."

"So they just let them do whatever they want?"

The soldier nodded. "Pretty much, as long as they get the job done."

Decker shook his head and rolled over and went to sleep. The trucks were stopped again when he opened his eyes next. "What's going on?"

"There's a German patrol ahead of us. Two cars." D'Angelo explained. He had climbed into the truck after Decker fell asleep and was now seated next to him trying to cushion the rough ride for him. "Troy took some men to try to capture the cars."

"Why risk it? Why not just hide until they leave?"

"He wants the water and medical supplies the cars are carrying."

"Seems risky."

"This whole plan has been risky." D'Angelo agreed. "But we do need water and some of the men need medical attention. The medics don't have anything to work with."

"They don't need to take this risk on my account." Decker grumbled.

"You're not the only one who needs a doctor." One of the prisoners explained. "We had wounded with us and a couple of your guys got hit."

"Troy knows what he's doing." The soldier who claimed to know them assured him.

"We're putting an awful lot of trust in him if you ask me." Decker growled.

"He got us this far." D'Angelo responded.

"Luck." Decker argued. "And when the luck runs out we're all going to pay."

"Maybe." His buddy admitted. "But so far it's been worth the ride."

"Look where it got me."

"Terry, you know that could have happened to anyone. We all took the same chances."

"I'm just saying; don't get too used to trusting these guys. Their luck is going to run out someday."

D'Angelo didn't argue as Decker fell silent.

"He's wrong you know." The soldier who claimed to know the Rat Patrol looked down at the sleeping Decker and then up at D'Angelo. "The Rat Patrol has saved a lot of lives since they arrived over here. They know what they're doing. You can do what you want, but I trust them."

"What's your name?" D'Angelo asked.

"Bernie Walker." The soldier answered. "I know those guys and they're pretty good friends to have on your side."

"I believe you." D'Angelo admitted. "Terry will come around; he's just hard-headed. Once he gets something in his head it takes a grenade to knock it loose, but he's a good guy too."

The sound of a short, fierce battle nearby stopped all conversation. The men in the truck listened, trying to figure out who was winning. Since both sides were using German guns it was impossible to tell. When they heard the patrol cars approaching they gripped their weapons and prepared for an attack.

"It's Troy and some other guys." One of the men near the tailgate announced. "They have the cars."

D'Angelo rose and walked back to the tailgate.

Troy was just stepping out of the patrol car. "How's Decker?"

D'Angelo looked back at his sleeping friend and smiled. "He's sleeping. The medic who treated him says he should make it to the base."

"Where's the medic?"

"In the next truck back, a couple of those guys needed his attention."

"Okay. We got lucky. The jerries in this car carried medical supplies. I'm going to give it to the medic and let him decide how to use it."

"What about water?"

"One can for each truck." Troy reached behind him and grabbed a five gallon can of water. "Not many rations but we'll give them to the weakest guys. You're in charge D'Angelo, make the water last."

"Any water holes between us and the base?"

"None that Jerry won't be watching." Troy answered.

"Okay Sergeant, we'll make it last."

"We're moving out. We'll use the patrol cars as scout cars. Don't shoot at us if you see us pass along the way."

"We'll be careful." D'Angelo promised.

Troy went forward to give the driver directions before he left to scout ahead. They pushed the trucks hard the first couple of hours. Troy, in the lead car, watched the desert anxiously for any sign of the trucks they had sent on ahead.

The sun was setting and they still hadn't picked up the tracks of the other trucks. Troy stopped his patrol car and waited for Moffitt to join him. "We should have found their tracks by now."

"We could have missed them."

Troy sighed. "We'll have to find a place to camp and look again in the morning. Let's just hope they don't try to drive through the night."

"I'm more worried about them running into a German patrol. They didn't have much in the way of protection."

"I gave them what I could." Troy defended his actions.

"I'm not saying that." Moffitt answered. "We just didn't have enough to work with."

"We'd better get back to the others. We don't want to lose them in the dark." Troy leaned down toward his temporary driver. "Take us back to the trucks."

"Sure Sarge." The driver readily agreed. "Which way is it?"

Troy sighed and shook his head, missing his usual drivers.

Moffitt smiled at Troy's exasperated expression. "Follow us, we'll lead the way." Tapping is driver on the shoulder; Moffitt pointed the way he wanted to go.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 7

"Where are they?" Troy lifted his glasses and scanned the same section of desert he had searched a dozen times before. "If they followed my directions they should be around here somewhere."

"You don't suppose…."

Troy looked at Moffitt and read the worry there.

"The water hole?"

"It was on the map I gave them. It was plainly marked as a water source." Moffitt frowned at the admission.

D'Angelo said he would make the water last." Troy argued. "I didn't think he was dumb enough to go there after I told him the Germans would be watching it."

"Perhaps you were wrong." Moffitt summoned a small smile. "You can't be right all of the time you know."

With a huff Troy ordered his driver to take them to the water hole.

The driver looked to Troy to ask a question but one look at the sergeant's stormy expression and he changed his mind. They drove in silence as the sun dropped lower in the sky.

"It's going to be dark soon." Troy called across to the other car.

"The water hole is only a few miles further." Moffitt called back. "We should probably circle around and check for tracks before we go in."

Troy nodded thoughtfully. "You go one way and I'll go the other. We'll meet on the other side unless one of us finds something.

Moffitt nodded and the two patrol cars split up.

Troy's driver made a large circle according to the sergeant's instructions. It was getting dark by the time they found the tracks. Troy had his driver stop while he examined the deep grooves made by the halftracks. The depth of the tracks told him that they were fairly recent. The wind had not had time to blur the indentations. There was no doubt in his mind that they were headed for the water hole. Not wanting Moffitt to fall prey to the halftracks, Troy went in search of the other car.

"We keep losing everybody." His driver groaned. "We aren't going to disappear next are we?"

"Not hardly." Troy snorted. "Just drive."

"I'm driving, I'm driving." The soldier groaned.

When Moffitt came into view his patrol car was parked next to the second set of missing trucks. The British sergeant was talking to the lead driver when Troy pulled up next to them.

"What are you doing here" Troy demanded. "I told you to stay away from the water hole."

The truck driver looked sheepish. "The guys took a vote and decided to try and find water."

"I told you the Germans would be watching it." Troy fumed.

"We were watching for them." The driver said in his own defense. "We haven't seen any sign of any Germans since you guys took those patrol cars."

"That doesn't mean they aren't out there." Moffitt added softly.

"Oh they're out there all right." Troy growled. "We found fresh tracks of a couple of halftracks headed directly toward the water hole."

"A trap?" Moffitt asked, suddenly looking concerned.

"Yeah, most likely." Troy answered. "They would have let you come in and then took you prisoner again. It's a good thing Moffitt found you before you blundered into that water hole."

"Good for them." Moffitt answered, watching Troy. "Not so good for the other trucks."

"The other trucks?" Troy asked. "I didn't see any other tracks leading into the water hole."

"They're over there." Moffitt pointed back toward the way he'd come. "I was checking them when I spotted these trucks."

Troy turned to look toward the water hole. "Why would Tully and Hitch let them go there?"

"Perhaps they had no choice in the matter. Perhaps they didn't ask them, or maybe they were unconscious. They both had infections."

"If they went in there there's a good chance the Germans have them. I didn't find any tracks leading out."

"Neither did we." Moffitt admitted. "I'm afraid you're right, they're still in there."

"This is one time I could stand to be wrong." Troy replied. He looked at the sky and then the water hole in the distance. "It's dark enough that we might be able to sneak in there."

"We'd have to go part of the way on foot."

"What are we waiting for?" Troy asked.

"We may need help." Moffitt suggested. "A couple of halftracks will have more men than we can handle alone; plus they will have freed the German prisoners we sent back. Guarding the prisoners, they'll be too scattered for us to deal with on our own."

Troy looked at the trucks behind them. "All right, we'll ask for volunteers."

"Troy! Moffitt! I didn't know that you were back." D'Angelo walked up along the side of the lead truck.

"What did I tell you about the water hole?" Troy growled, in no mood to be friendly

D'Angelo hung his head at the question. "I'm sorry Sergeant. Decker kept talking about how five gallons wasn't enough water. He talked a lot of the other guys into going along with him. I was out voted. I tried to tell them that it was a bad idea."

"Well it's a good thing that Moffitt stopped you or you would have driven right into a trap." Troy growled.

"The Germans are there?" D'Angelo asked in surprise. "I guess we owe you for our freedom again Sergeant. I don't know how we can ever repay you."

"I have an idea." Troy answered. "Find me some volunteers. The other trucks are in there. We can't be sure until we take a look but it's fairly certain that they are prisoners again."

"They got caught?"

"We're going in to find out. We need some volunteers." Moffitt explained.

"I'll get you some." D'Angelo promised. He headed for the rear of the trucks to spread the word. Before Troy could finish explaining to Moffitt what he wanted to do D'Angelo was back with plenty of volunteers eager to help.

Troy and Moffitt gave them their instructions and explained the plan. Using the patrol cars they ferried some of the soldiers to the other side of the water hole. Troy made sure that they stayed well clear so that the Germans wouldn't hear the engines. They had decided that the Germans probably knew that they had the patrol cars by now. They didn't want to announce their presence by getting too close.

They abandoned the patrol cars in favor of walking to keep the noise down. Troy left a driver with each vehicle so they could call them in if they needed them. Troy and his volunteers managed to sneak in close to the trees that surrounded the water hole. Troy and Moffitt left the volunteers to wait for them while they took out the guards.

The guards were watching the scene in the camp as the sergeants made their stealthy approach. The prisoners were all bunched together in the center of the camp. They were seated on the ground with guards placed strategically around them.

Sneaking up quietly the sergeants pulled the guards down and silenced them permanently. Troy signaled the other volunteers to join them as they watched what was happening in the camp.

The commanding officer was facing the prisoners with a smile on his face. His voice carried to the two sergeants watching from the other side of the trees.

"I want to know who led your escape." The officer said in a reasonable tone.

None of the prisoners answered.

"Where is the unit called the Rat Patrol?" The officer continued. The prisoners remained silent. "They were in those compounds. I know they were among you. Point them out to me." His voice took on a hard tone. The prisoners still remained silent. "You will point them out to me or I will have every man here shot."

"No."

The officer turned toward the speaker and smiled. "Do you know the men I am looking for?"

The young soldier looked at the man sitting next to him. The two came to an unspoken agreement before the speaker nodded.

"Yes."

"Where are the men known as the Rat Patrol?"

"Right here. It's us."

The officer smiled even wider. "That's a start but I was told that there were four of you."

"That's right." Tully answered. "There were four of us."

"Were?" The officer demanded.

"Our sergeants were killed in the escape." Tully answered.

"Where are they now?" The officer asked with a suspicious smile.

"They're in the truck." Hitch answered, looking toward the truck parked outside of the tree line.

"Call them." The officer ordered.

"They're dead." Tully repeated.

"Then pull them out and show me."

"We can do that." Hitch answered. "But they were the first ones we put in there. It's going to take us a while to dig them out. Rigor mortis has set in and the bodies are all tangled together."

"And we're both wounded ourselves so we won't be able to work too fast." Tully added.

"And we'll probably get sick a few times because those bodies have been closed up in that truck all day in the heat." Hitch added.

"Do you want us to start right now?" Tully asked.

The officer looked from one private to the other. Both young men were looking at him expectantly. His eyes took in the bandages and the fevered look in their eyes. "No, that won't be necessary. Get on your feet." He barked an order and the guards stepped forward. Grabbing the two privates by the arms, they pulled them to their feet.

Hitch gasped as the soldier pulled on his wounded shoulder. His legs gave out and he started to fall. The German pulled harder on his arm. His eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. He awoke to hard slaps across his face.

"Leave him alone!"

Hitch recognized that voice, Leon! "Don't Leon." He groaned. "Don't give them any excuse to kill you too."

"We don't need an excuse." The commander smiled. "Who are you?"

"Leon Eckkert, Private." Leon snarled defiantly.

"What part did you play in the escape?"

Leon looked at Hitch. "I helped organize it and helped lead the assault."

"Leon!" Hitch moaned.

The officer smiled again and motioned for the guards to take Leon too.

"I helped too." Chad Richards got to his feet.

The guards took him too.

"Two more I think." The commander said to the waiting prisoners. He picked out two more men at random and ordered them to join the four men already on their feet.

"What are you going to do?" A soldier in the back asked.

"I am about to solve my rat problem." The commander answered with a smirk. "And perhaps make you think twice about giving us any more trouble." He barked an order to the four guards and stepped back to allow them to pass with their six prisoners. Another order from him and the remaining guards spaced themselves out around the sullen prisoners. "Remain seated." The officer ordered. "Anyone who gets to his feet will be shot."

The six men were taken around the parked trucks and into the desert beyond.

Troy shifted anxiously, looking back to see if the volunteers were in position yet. They were close but not near enough to make a move. Without their help all he and Moffitt could do was start a massacre. He watched helplessly as Hitch, Tully, Leon, Chad, and the two others were led away. He kept looking at the other side of the camp, hoping to see a signal from D'Angelo that his men were in position, but it didn't come.

The prisoners shifted restlessly as the German commander watched them and smiled like the cat that had just swallowed the canary.

Four shots broke the stillness, followed by two more, then silence. Troy dropped his head in his arms and closed his eyes.

The officer smiled at the shocked faces of the seated prisoners. "I do believe that that solves my rat problem."

Troy looked up as the volunteers fell to the ground on either side of him. "What was that?"'

"Nothing we can do anything about." Troy growled. "Stick to the plan."

The soldier next to Troy nodded. Crawling along the ground, he took up his assigned position. Moffitt went along the line, assigning each rifleman a target. They needed to take out all of the guards at once to keep them from shooting the prisoners.

Troy waited until he saw the signal from D'Angelo on the other side of the camp. He drew the attention of his volunteers and counted down with his fingers. When the countdown ended the rifles all fired as one. To the last man the Germans dropped to the ground. Troy and Moffitt were the first to reach the prisoners.

"Get into the trucks." Troy yelled. "You were told to stay away from the water holes."

"We needed water." One of the soldiers explained.

"Well I hope it was worth it!" Troy shouted. "You got six good men killed!"

The soldier lowered his head, unable to meet Troy's anger, knowing it was true.

"Get in the trucks! The German will be all over this water hole come morning. Unless you want to do this again we have to make tracks."

"But what about…?"

Troy spun on the speaker. "What about what?"

The speaker didn't respond.

"Troy." Moffitt reached out to touch Troy's arm.

"If they hadn't come here!"

"They couldn't know." Moffitt answered.

Troy closed his eyes, striving for calm before he ventured out into the desert to find his men.

"Sarge?"

Troy spun at the call. Tully stood near the rear of one of the trucks holding onto the frame for support.

"Tully!"

"I'm okay Sarge, thanks to Bernie Walker and Sergeant D'Angelo."

"Hitch?"

"He's okay too. He just needed to rest a few minutes. They yanked on his shoulder and we don't have anything to give him for the pain."

Moffitt smiled. "We might have something." At Tully's look of surprise Moffitt nodded at Troy. "Troy had us salvage two patrol cars. They both had medical supplies on board. I'll check with the medic and see if he has anything we can use."

"Thanks Doc." Tully grinned.

"Get in the trucks." Troy repeated in a softer tone. "We need to get out of here."

Tully nodded and turned to speak to someone behind him. Leon and Chad appeared with a stumbling Hitch between them. "Sarge says we got to go." Tully explained. "We need to get the trucks loaded."

The men nodded and helped Hitch climb over the tailgate. They followed him in without a word. Tully gave Troy a nod and climbed into the truck behind them. One by one the rest of the prisoners climbed back into the trucks.

"Did you fill the water cans?" Troy asked the driver of the first truck.

"Didn't get a chance." The driver responded. "They jumped us as soon as we got out of the trucks."

The sergeant sighed. "Fill the cans, we'll wait." While he waited Troy sent two men back to signal the patrol cars to come in. He left orders for them to go out and bring in the second group of trucks too.

He walked to the back of the truck where Moffitt stood watching a medic work on Hitch and Tully.

"How's it going?"

Moffitt turned and smiled. "They need to slow down and take it easy. I don't think they're ready for all of this excitement just yet."

Troy looked over the tailgate and caught the attention of his men. "You okay Hitch?"

"I'll live Sarge."

"Tully?"

"Fine Sarge."

The medic finished and smiled at Troy. "They found more medical supplies in the halftracks."

"Good, now if we could only find enough guns to put up a decent fight against the ones following us."

"I heard they found more grenades too."

"That will help if we can get close enough to use them." Troy nodded.

"Do we have to leave right away?"

"Those halftracks behind us probably know where we are. These halftracks probably radioed in when they captured these trucks. We can't fight them off with this many wounded and no guns."

"I know, but some of these guys need a break. Even with what we just found I don't have enough morphine to give everyone who needs it. These guys are weak from starvation and now the wounds. Some of them aren't going to make it if we keep pushing like we are."

"In all likelihood none of us are going to make it if they catch us." Troy explained.

The medic nodded his understanding. "I'll do what I can. If you'll excuse me Sergeant, I need to check on some of the others."

Troy was deep in thought when the second group of trucks pulled into the water hole. He took another look at the halftracks before going in search of the medic.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 8

"I thought we were leaving Troy." Moffitt watched as the ex-prisoners set up a makeshift camp.

"Some of the wounded needed rest. The medic asked if we could stay a while."

Moffitt nodded. "I was wondering how long they would be able to go on. It's hard enough on them with morphine. Without it it must be nearly unbearable. At least we can give them all of the water they want for tonight. I'll make sure all of the water cans are filled before everyone turns in. That will be one less worry tomorrow morning."

"Thanks Moffitt. Have you talked to Tully and Hitch?"

"They're both sleeping." The Brit answered. "The more seriously wounded were left in the trucks in case we need to move in a hurry."

"Good idea." Troy praised. He stared out into the desert. "Those halftracks are still on our trail. I can feel it."

"We may have to fight our way through at some point." Moffitt warned.

"Yeah, I know." Troy answered, chewing on his lower lip. "But I don't want those halftracks at my back if we get into a fight. We don't have enough rifles or ammo to defend ourselves."

"We've done all right so far." Moffitt pointed out.

"We've been lucky so far."

"No."

Troy looked at his friend in surprise. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"It wasn't luck Troy. It was good, solid planning…..and pure desperation." Moffitt smiled as he added the last part.

"Well we may need more of it, whatever it was." Troy sighed.

"So what do you have in mind?"

Troy pulled a map out of his pocket and began to outline his plan.

Troy was restless all night. The only time he slept was while Moffitt was awake to supervise the camp. He checked on his other men frequently, glad to see that at least they were getting some sleep. Their fevers weren't any worse and the infections hadn't spread. Moffitt found him standing at the tailgate looking into the truck at first light.

"I sent someone to wake the camp."

The sounds of a military camp coming to life were all around them. Some men groaned about not getting enough sleep while others slipped from their bed ready to go. Troy didn't complain about the groaners but he appreciated the quiet risers.

Everyone was encouraged to get long drinks from the water hole before getting into the trucks. The water cans were already filled and stowed for the long ride ahead.

Moffitt and Troy watched the proceedings with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"The trucks are all loaded and ready to go." Sergeant D'Angelo reported.

"What about crews for the halftracks?"

D'Angelo pointed to a group of men still standing around.

"Load them up Sergeant, we're moving out." Troy commanded.

"Troy, are you sure about this? We don't have Hitch and Tully driving. These men don't have their experience at this type of attack."

"Can you think of another way to do it?"

Moffitt fell silent.

"That's what I thought. Look Moffitt, I wish we had Hitch and Tully, but we don't. We went over this maneuver with both drivers. They seemed okay with it."

"It looks easy on paper, or drawn in the sand." Moffitt said. "It's not quite as easy when you're facing the real thing. I'm not saying these guys are cowards, but just a little hesitation can be fatal under these circumstances. We're so used to Hitch and Tully that I think sometimes we take them for granted."

"We don't have time to second guess ourselves. If I'm right, those halftracks are going to be catching up to us within the next couple of hours."

"You're right; we should stick to the plan." The Brit admitted. "This is sort of like my first Rat Patrol mission all over again." Moffitt smiled self-consciously.

"How's that?"

"New men, men I haven't learned to trust. Unknown number of adversaries but guaranteed to be outnumbered. I was a bit nervous that first time."

"You never let it show," Troy answered. "You were so cool under fire that you even impressed Tully."

Moffitt laughed at that. "Shall we get on with it then old man?"

"By all means." Troy grinned in return.

They left the water hole headed in a straight line for the Allied base. The two sergeants had decided that the Germans would be less suspicious if they stuck to the expected route.

The halftracks drove off in another direction before circling back and following on a parallel route. Troy and Moffitt coordinated the actions of the two groups by driving back and forth when needed.

The two groups of trucks formed a single line and pushed the vehicles as hard as they could.

"Remember," Troy told the lead driver, "once we engage you keep driving but avoid the dunes. If you run into an ambush the further you are from the dunes the more warning you'll have. We'll catch up as soon as we can. Don't wait for us." After the incident at the water hole the driver took Troy's instructions seriously.

The patrol cars scouted ahead for possible ambushes until dust was sighted behind them. The trucks were sent ahead and the halftracks moved in so they could get a good shot at the approaching Germans. Troy had them hide behind the dunes until the Germans were in range.

"You get their attention with the shells and we'll move in." Troy repeated his instructions to the men manning the captured halftracks. "Only shoot at the ones in the clear once we engage. I don't want any friendly fire hitting anywhere near us."

"We got it Sergeant." Corporal Hidlay answered. "We'll try real hard not to hit you." He added with a wide smile.

"We'd appreciate that." Moffitt chuckled.

"If you're going to hit us, make it good." Troy warned him. "Because if we survive, I'll come after you."

The patrol cars ducked into a shallow valley and waited for the Germans to catch up. The fleeing trucks were still in sight when the Germans entered the trap.

The German officer spotted the trucks and ordered his drivers to increase their speed. He shouted in triumph as they began to close in on the loaded vehicles. His shouts of encouragement turned to shouts of alarm as the first shell hit one of his halftracks. He looked up in confusion to see two German halftracks firing at his own column. He waved his arms and shouted angrily at them, ordering them to cease fire. The bullets from the heavy machine guns cut him off in midsentence. Holding his arm over the wound he dropped down onto the seat and ordered his gunners to return fire.

The two sides exchanged both shells and bullets with the Germans getting the worst of it.

With the sudden appearance of the two patrol cars the situation became even more confusing. The German crews didn't know who was enemy and who was friend. They got their answer when the passengers in the patrol cars lobbed grenades into the halftracks as they drove past.

While not as nimble as the jeeps, the drivers managed to get the patrol cars into positions where Troy and Moffitt could put the grenades where they did the most good. Two more halftracks were destroyed before their crews realized their danger.

The driver of the first halftrack tried to run. He swung away from the battle, putting more distance between him and the enemy forces. He still wasn't sure what was happening but he didn't want to die. Ducking into a gap between two dunes, he hoped to put distance between him and his attackers, whoever they were.

The wounded officer in the front seat cursed him for his cowardice but he ignored him. Sitting straight in the front seat the officer demanded that he return to the battle. The driver looked over his shoulder and noticed that the gun crew was all sprawled in the back like broken dolls. He panicked and continued driving, completely ignoring the officer's shouted orders.

The injured officer pulled his sidearm and pointed it at his driver's head. The driver never saw the bullet that killed him. The halftrack slowed and stopped as the driver's foot slipped off of the gas petal.

One of the patrol cars roared up behind them, forcing the officer to twist in his seat. He gasped as the move pulled on his wound, making his vision blur. Lifting his weapon with his fading strength, he aimed and fired at the patrol car.

"Turn!" Troy shouted at his temporary driver.

The driver twisted the wheel, throwing the patrol car into a skid. It slid in the sand and slammed into the side of the stopped halftrack.

The wounded German officer tried to focus on the enemy, now too close to miss. He raised his sidearm again, prepared to go down fighting.

Troy lifted a rifle, his finger tightened on the trigger, and the rifle bucked in his hand. He saw the officer thrown back against the dead driver. He leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, sergeant…"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think this car is going to go anywhere until it's fixed." The driver sounded so upset that Troy burst out laughing. "Are you okay sergeant?"

Letting out a heavy huff, Troy nodded. "I'm fine." Those two words reminded him of the trucks and his own wounded men. "This car has done its duty Private; let's just let it rest in peace."

"Okay." The young private nodded with a frown. "But how are we going to get back?"

"We'll hitchhike."

"Hitchhike! Are you sure you're okay Sergeant?"

"I'm sure Private. Come on, our ride will be here in a minute." Troy climbed out of the car and began to walk back the way they had come. He glanced back to see the private following him with a confused look on his face.

Moffitt's patrol car pulled through the gap between the dunes and skidded to a stop. "Is everyone all right?"

Troy smiled tiredly. "We're fine. I suppose we should see what we can salvage before we abandon these vehicles."

Troy looked at the vehicles they were leaving. "We'd better put some bullets in the engines so the Germans can't put new crews in them and follow us. It's going to be a tight fit to get everyone back to the trucks." Troy glanced at his driver. "We sort of wrecked our car."

"Better it than you." Was all Moffitt said on the matter.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Run for Freedom Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 9

They had radioed ahead to warn the base that they would be arriving in all German vehicles. A column of jeeps, manned by MPS, met them well clear of the gates. Questions were asked and weapons confiscated before they were allowed to enter the base.

The trucks with the wounded were escorted to the base hospital where the medical personnel were prepared for the influx of patients. Tully and Hitch were sent to the hospital with the rest of the wounded.

The able bodied soldiers were taken to a barracks where they were allowed to shower before being issued fresh uniforms. They descended on the mess hall like a swarm of locusts.

Troy, Moffitt, and Sergeant D'Angelo delayed their showers until after they filed their reports.

"So after you attacked the halftracks that were following you you were able to continue unmolested?" Captain Rancon asked after the sergeants had explained the series of events.

"We saw dust several times but we were able to hide and avoid any confrontations." Troy explained. "We were getting low on ammunition. I didn't feel we were in any position to engage the enemy Captain."

"That is your job. It's what soldiers do." Lieutenant Quick pointed out.

"Yes sir, but we weren't well armed and starting something we didn't have the ammunition to finish seemed suicidal." Troy explained.

"Still Sergeant…."

"Lieutenant."

"Yes sir?"

"I am amazed that they made it back at all. I don't think we need to question the Sergeant's decisions." The Captain studied the three sergeants before him. "I understand your reasoning sergeant and I completely agree with you. I'll send the reports up the chain of command. And I might add that you three are a credit to the Army."

"Thank you sir," Troy responded. "If I may, are we done here Sir?"

"In a hurry to get to the showers and the mess hall Sergeant?" The Captain smiled. "Can't say that I blame you."

"It can wait sir; I'd rather go to the hospital and check on my men."

"Ah yes, I remember, you have two wounded privates."

"Yes sir."

Looking at D'Angelo the Captain continued. "And you have a fellow sergeant and some other members of your unit."

"Yes sir."

With a snapped salute the Captain dismissed them. On their way out he called to them. "Let me know if you need anything. If there is anything I can do to help."

Troy paused. "We would like to get word to Captain Boggs Sir."

"Consider it done Sergeant. I'll call him personally."

Hitch and Tully were in their cots asleep when Troy and Moffitt arrived. They were greeted by others among the wounded as they walked the length of the hospital ward to reach the privates. Troy smiled as he noticed the peaceful expressions on their faces as they slept.

"A penny for your thoughts."

Troy looked up at Moffitt watching him with a serene smile on his face.

"They're probably not worth a penny."

"Share them for free then."

"They look like kids when they sleep, sort of innocent and carefree."

"That's exactly what they were not so very long ago."

"And now they can never go back to that. They're changed, for better or for worse. I feel like I had a hand in taking their youth from them."

"You did." Moffitt agreed. "But you also had a hand in making them the men they are today. A change for the better I think. You've also had a hand in keeping them alive so they could grow up."

Remembering all the pranks the two of them pulled, and the trouble they always seemed to find, Troy laughed. "I think the jury is still out on that one. I think they still have some growing up to do."

"And thanks to you they have another chance to get it right."

Troy looked at the sleeping faces and smiled. "You know, I'd never tell them, but I couldn't be prouder of them if they were my own flesh and blood."

"Maybe you should."

''No," Troy shook his head, "their heads are big enough already."

"Hey Troy!"

Troy turned to see D'Angelo standing in the aisle.

"Yeah? Forget something?"

"No." D'Angelo paused. "Decker wants to talk to you."

Troy looked at Moffitt who shrugged and nodded his encouragement. Giving a nod, Troy followed D'Angelo to the next row of cots over. Sergeant Terry Decker sat propped up in bed wrapped in bandages.

"Are they going to be okay?"

"Yeah." Troy answered curtly.

"Look Troy, I'm not good at apologies. I know you said to stay away from the water hole."

Troy stared stonily at the other sergeant.

"I made a mistake, okay? We should have followed the route you gave us. It's just that, well, we were all thirsty and we were afraid we'd run out of water. It was so close. I figured we'd see them before we blundered into them."

"You mean like the other trucks did?" Troy asked in a deceptively calm tone.

"I was wrong. I'm sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me but I wanted to tell you that." Decker fumbled with the blanket covering his legs.

"Look Decker, I told you about the water hole to protect you. Do you think the rest of us weren't thirsty too? You were lucky that Moffitt spotted you before you followed the other trucks into the trap."

"I know." Decker kept his head down as he answered. "The other guys were just following my lead. But I did make one choice right."

"Which one was that?'

"Going along with you on the escape." Decker smiled a cocky smile.

"All right Decker." Troy sighed. "Maybe I was too hard on you. I can't really be mad about you heading for the water hole. If you hadn't been there we might not have saved the other guys. I don't think Moffitt and I could have done it alone. I owe you for that. Your detour gave us the extra men we needed to pull it off. But a little advice; if someone warns you about danger, at least consider their warning, just in case they're right."

"I'll think about it Sergeant. I still think we put an awful lot of faith in you when we didn't know you from Adam." Decker grinned at D'Angelo before he continued. "I'm just glad it worked out this time."

Troy didn't respond to Decker's admission.

"You know something else?"

"What?"

"You were right about your men too. They did come through when they were needed."

Troy couldn't contain his smile anymore. "I know my men Sergeant."

"My point exactly." Decker grinned. He held his hand out for Troy to shake. "I'm glad I got to know you Sergeant, all of you."

"You don't know us Decker." Troy growled at the assumed familiarity.

"But I trust you." Decker grinned.


End file.
